Houston Llew

It is not a simple task to branch out from an established medium and create something new. Late night hours, artist wages, and ramen noodles join the blood, sweat, and tears of growing a new art concept from a classic medium. But all of the hard work and long hours can pay off when combined with a vision for telling stories in enameled wall art. Houston Llew started his venture inside a hot garage in Atlanta in the summer of 2008- at the depths of the worst recession since the Great Depression.

A combined vision for art and an eternal optimism turned a dreary economic situation into an opportunity as Spiritiles deliver a beautifully handmade art product to a market looking for affordable pieces to show their fine art collectors. Today, Houston no longer makes Spiritiles out of a garage -“Llewtopia,” as he calls it, is an expanding art studio near downtown Atlanta employing ten full-time artists and artisans as of October 2013.

Each Spiritile is carefully handmade using a series of intricate stencil techniques. From the beginning, Houston’s vision for his enameled artworks drew from the beauty of simplicity. He sought after an imagistic theme for his work rather than pursuing the abstract often seen in other enameled wall art. The image is just the beginning – each piece is paired with a quote graffitied around the sides to create an inspiring story through words and images in glass.

A sampling of Houston’s work at Petroglyphe Gallery (click any image to enlarge and scroll through).

Aloft -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Bubbley -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

In Tune -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Liquid Sunshine -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Ms. fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Tickled Ivory -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Wild Child -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Beach Walk -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Fluffy -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Hello! -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Llewcie -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Masterpiece -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Rain Dance -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Salty -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Scenic Outlook -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Thanks -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Turner Heart -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Alight -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Backyard Therapy -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Bon Voyage fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25-

Epic Tales -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Equinox -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Fine Craft -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Joyride fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25-

Miracle -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Saddle Up -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Stephen’s Paradise -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Turner Heart II -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Turning Point fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25-

Voyager -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Wild One -fused glass & copper -8.5×5.25

Click below to watch Mr. Llew’s process as he demonstrates how a Spiritile is created…